WATCH: How data centers rescued a struggling central Washington community

(The Center Square) – Imagine the value of your home goes way up, but your property tax bill goes down.

Imagine the small town you live in has a brand-new police station, new city hall, a new hospital, a new water and sewer system and a new high school, but your taxes never went up.

That’s the story in the town of Quincy, Washington and it’s all because of data centers.

Microsoft built a massive data center in the Central Washington community more than twenty years ago. The company selected the area in large part because of the availability of inexpensive land and fiber lines Grant County PUD had put in prior to data centers arriving.

Last month, Microsoft celebrated the community as the home of its first data center, by awarding $210,000 in grants to local organizations. The company has created several hundred jobs and contributed to property taxes that have helped fund large infrastructure projects, without raising taxes on residents and small businesses.

“The s...